Four Pointers: New Zealand Warriors 18 South Sydney Rabbitohs 36

Many of the Rabbitohs tries could have been easily stopped if the Warriors actually tried to defend their line. It looked as though the team were frozen as the Bunnies ran past them with ease to score try after try. There was no emergency to defend the line and to be honest it is the worst I have seen from the Warriors defence-wise. By looking at the score it is clear the Warriors defence was not on form as they allowed the opposition to cross the line six times which led to the Bunnies to double the Warriors end score.

Impressive completion rate from Warriors but not much else

It is well known that Warriors coach Stephen Kearney is all about structured football – something very unfamiliar to the Warriors squad in past years. Kearney’s influence can be seen in the team’s completion rate this season as they have one of the best in the competition. The team completed 82% of their sets during this match, but it was also the third week they had managed this but lost to the opposition by double digits. Although holding onto the ball is a vital part of the game, if you can’t do anything with it, you will continue to lose games. Maybe this is proof the Warriors should go back to their old style of play instead of trying to beat the Aussies at their own game of structured play – because clearly it isn’t working.

Rabbitohs fullback Alex Johnston was the standout player in last nights match. Johnston scored three tries to put his team in front while also securing his spot back as the top try scorer in the competition with his hat trick. The fullback ran a total of 235 metres and made three line breaks as he taunted the Warriors with his ability to appear whenever an opportunity presented itself and take full advantage of it. Unfortunately for the Bunnies, Johnston limped off the field with a right hamstring injury in the 73rd minute after he crossed the try line for the third time that night.

“It’s really unfortunate because he’s been playing some great footy and is looking at records around the club with tries.”, Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire said post-match.

Fast play of the ball from Rabbitohs

The Rabbitohs were fast to play the ball throughout the entire 80 minutes which often caught the Warriors off guard – contributing to the Bunnies victory. The team looked determined and excited to play the game whereas the Warriors were visibly lacking passion through majority of the game. The Rabbitohs wanted the win more, and it showed in their performance.